LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvian shamans gathered on Monday for a blessing ritual for the two candidates in the country’s presidential runoff next weekend, a decisive vote for the South American country that has seen a revolving door of presidents kicked out of office over corruption scandals.
The ritual is a tradition at the start of every year and before elections.
Click to Gallery
Shamans perform a ritual holding posters of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, left, and Roberto Sanchez on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of their presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A shaman performs a ritual holding a poster of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of a presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Shamans perform a ritual holding posters of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, right, and Roberto Sanchez on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of their presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A shaman performs a ritual holding a poster of presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of the presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
The shamans gathered by the sea on Herradura Beach in the Chorrillos district in Lima, Peru's capital, holding up posters of the two candidates.
The two — Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori, and Roberto Sánchez, a nationalist congressman and former minister — are neck and neck in the polls and will face off on Sunday.
Fujimori garnered just over 17% of the votes while Sánchez got about 12% in a crowded field of candidates in the first round of voting in April. That round was mired in logistical problems that left thousands in Peru and abroad unable to cast ballots. It then took weeks for the country’s electoral body to finalize the two contenders for the runoff.
In the blessing ritual, the shamans used flower petals, fruit, coca leaves and fragrant pieces of palo santo — or “holy wood” in Spanish — as well as black tobacco, swords and dolls. They also lit colorful flares and banged drums.
“The ritual we perform is primarily intended to ensure that the best candidate is the one who represents our Peru,” said shaman Andrés de los Santos, who had traveled to Lima from the north of the country.
Although the shamans made no forecasts this time, they have previously predicted the future. At the end of 2025, they predicted Venezuela's then-President Nicolás Maduro, now facing drug trafficking charges in the United States, would no longer be in office by the end of 2026.
The winner of the runoff will become Peru’s ninth president in just 10 years, replacing José María Balcázar, who was elected interim president in February. Balcázar replaced another interim leader, José Jerí, who was ousted over corruption allegations just four months into his term.
Peru's next president will be sworn in on July 28 for a five-year term.
Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Shamans perform a ritual holding posters of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, left, and Roberto Sanchez on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of their presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A shaman performs a ritual holding a poster of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of a presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Shamans perform a ritual holding posters of presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, right, and Roberto Sanchez on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of their presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A shaman performs a ritual holding a poster of presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez on Herradura beach in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 1, 2026, ahead of the presidential runoff election. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
PARIS (AP) — Naomi Osaka may have had the edge in the fashion contest. In the tennis department, though, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka was the winner.
Sabalenka beat Osaka 7-5, 6-3 on Monday to reach the French Open quarterfinals and move one step closer to finally winning the clay-court Grand Slam, where she lost last year's final to Coco Gauff.
It was the first women’s night match at Roland Garros in three years and Osaka entered the court wearing a golden bomber jacket over her gold sequin playing dress, trailing a tiered train with puffs of tulle.
Sabalenka wore more standard tennis attire: A slightly sheer black flared tennis dress with a red underlayer; plus diamond necklaces.
In the matchup of four-time Grand Slam champions, Sabalenka improved to 3-1 in her career against Osaka, who was playing in the fourth round at Roland Garros for the first time.
Sabalenka overpowered Osaka from the baseline, and produced a huge forehand return winner on her first match point that Osaka barely got her racket on.
Tournament organizers had been criticized for not scheduling more women's matches at night, with Roland Garros officials responding that women's best-of-three set matches don't occupy enough time for TV broadcasters. The men play best-of-five set matches.
Sabalenka won in 1 hour, 27 minutes.
“The atmosphere and the attention that this match brought (is) going to show them that probably for the future they should consider putting at least sometimes women matches at night,” Sabalenka said.
Sabalenka's quarterfinal opponent will be Diana Shnaider, who beat Madison Keys — the last American woman remaining in contention — 6-3, 3-6, 6-0.
French hopes were dashed following Diane Parry’s 6-3, 6-2 loss to 114th-ranked Maja Chwalinska of Poland.
Chwalinska had never been beyond the second round of any major, and her run is even more impressive considering she came through three qualifying rounds.
Chwalinska's quarterfinal opponent will be Anna Kalinskaya, who surprised even herself by reaching the last eight after defeating Anastasia Potapova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (10-7).
“Thinking two weeks ago that I will be here, I wouldn’t believe it,” Kalinskaya said. “I would probably laugh with my team.”
Many top women's players were already eliminated, including auff, four-time winner Iga Swiatek and No. 2-ranked Elena Rybakina.
Despite top-ranked Jannik Sinner losing in the second round, Italian fans will have at least two men in the quarterfinals.
Tenth-seeded Flavio Cobolli advanced to his second Grand Slam quarterfinal — and his first here — after beating American Zachary Svajda 6-2, 6-3, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5).
“It’s for sure my favorite Grand Slam to play,” Cobolli said after winning on Court Philippe-Chatrier. “We have the best feeling with the surface as Italians.”
A little while after his win, Cobolli — a former youth soccer player at Italian club Roma — joined players from the Paris Saint-Germain team as they paraded the Champions League trophy on Court Philippe-Chatrier. PSG beat Arsenal in the final on Saturday.
Cobolli's next faces No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 7-5, 6-1 to complete a career set of reaching the last eight at all four majors. The Canadian has never been beyond a Grand Slam semifinal, though.
“Not having Sinner in the semifinals is another opportunity, but you need to be there,” Auger-Aliassime said.
Big-serving Matteo Berrettini joined Cobolli in the quarterfinals after beating Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (6). Berrettini last reached the quarterfinals here in 2021 — but hadn't been back to the tournament since then because of a series of injuries and physical issues.
Matteo Arnaldi made it three Italians in last eight when he beat Frances Tiafoe — the last American man in the draw — 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in a match that lasted 5 hours, 26 minutes and ended after 1 a.m.
Berrettini and Arnaldi face each other in the quarterfinals, ensuring that at least one Italian man will advance to the semifinals.
AP Sports Writer Samuel Petrequin, and AP Fashion Writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during the fourth-round tennis match against Japan's Naomi Osaka at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Japan's Naomi Osaka warms up for the fourth-round tennis match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts during the fourth-round tennis match against Japan's Naomi Osaka at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Japan's Naomi Osaka waits for the serve during the fourth-round tennis match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning the fourth-round tennis match against Japan's Naomi Osaka at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Japan's Naomi Osaka warms up for the fourth-round tennis match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Japan's Naomi Osaka warms up for the fourth-round tennis match against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Italy's Matteo Berrettini reacts after wonning the fourth-round tennis match against Argentina's Juan Manuel Cerundolo at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime serves to Chile's Alejandro Tabilo during the fourth-round tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Poland's Maja Chwalinska reacts aftre winning the fourth-round tennis match against France's Diane Parry at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
Russia's Diana Shnaider reacts after winning the fourth-round tennis match against Madison Keys of the United States at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Italy's Flavio Cobolli returns to Zachary Svajda of the United States during the fourth-round tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Italy's Flavio Cobolli reacts after winning the fourth-round tennis match against Zachary Svajda of the United States at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Austria's Anastasia Potapova returns to Russia's Anna Kalinskaya during the fourth-round tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Austria's Anastasia Potapova returns to Russia's Anna Kalinskaya during the fourth-round tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Russia's Anna Kalinskaya returns to Austria's Anastasia Potapova during the fourth-round tennis match at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Russia's Anna Kalinskaya celebrates after winning the fourth-round tennis match against Austria's Anastasia Potapova at the French Open in Paris, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
